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STEUBEN T. BACON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,709, dated July 12, 1859.

To all 'whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, STEUBEN T. BACON, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new' and Improved Mode of Preventing the Picking of Locks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure l, represents a front view of the lock. Fig. 2, the inside view of the front plate. Fig. 3, a section through at A, B. Fig. et, an enlarged view of section of tumbler and surrounding cylinder with a piston and driver.

The invention now claimed by me consists of improvements upon a lock patented by Linus Yale June 13, 184,4, in which the bolt B, is thrown out and in by a pin C, on the face of what is termed a rotating tum bler D, which works in a groove in the face of t-he bolt; the rotating tumbler being operated by a key which when inserted, forces out to the required distance, aseries of radial stops or pistons c', i, z', t', and -drivers 7c, le, 7c, 71;, that move in holes 0, 0, 0, 0 in a cylindrical or rotating tumbler D, and corresponding holes in a surrounding cylinder E. Upon withdrawing the key, the pistons and drivers are forced forward by the springs m, m, and prevent the tumbler from being revolved.

My invention consists in making a portion of the pistons and drivers with threads cut upon them, and also in the corresponding holes in the tumbler and surrounding cylin der; the remainder of the pistons and drivers being made in the usual manner, without threads upon them, or in their corresponding holes, and being calculated to lill their holes so nearly as that the tumbler shall be kept in its proper position, during the ordi nary use of the lock with its key, and prevent the interlocking of the threaded pistons and drivers within their holes.

I so construct the threaded pistons, drivers and holes, as that the pistons and drivers l shall play loosely in their holes, during the ordinary working of the lock; my object being to accomplish the following result in a. trial at. picking', to wit: It having been demonstrated that by getting a pressure upon the tumbler, the operator is enabled to move the pistons and drivers (made as ordinarily has been the case) to the point of intersection between the tumbler and surrounding cylinder, and in this manner pick the lock.

It will be seen that by this mode of operation upon the lock as invented by myself or rather as improved by myself, that the pistons and drivers which I have left in the old manner of construction will one by one yield to the picking instruments, until that form and construction of pistons and drivers have. all yielded; and then the tumbler will under the influence of the pressure still upon it move or rotate until it is assisted by the threaded pistons and drivers which now become interlocked with the threads in the oorresponding holes; and thus prevent the picklock from moving the pistons or drivers either out or in, with a view to placing their intersecting points at the point of intersection between the tumbler and cylinder.

It may be found in practice, that threads in both the tumbler and corresponding holes of the surrounding cylinder will not be required; for instance let a. tumbler hole be threaded and not its corresponding cylinder holethen let a driver be threaded and not its corresponding piston.

I do not confine myself to making the threads on the pistons, or drivers, or in the holes, of any particular form or length.

That I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The construction of one or more pistons, or drivers, or both; also one or more holes in the rotating tumbler, or surrounding cylinder, or both, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

STEUBEN T'. BACON.

Vitnesses THos. H. DODGE, EDM. F. BRowN. 

